Local News

Fredericksburg Police are still trying to find the suspect they think could have started the entire wild brawl they responded to at Central Station on Princess Anne Street early Monday morning. It apparently involved more than 50 people inside and then more outside. One Fredericksburg was arrested nearby in connection after a police chase. They say one woman that had a seizure in the commotion was taken by ambulance to the hospital.

VDOT tells us that most roads in the Fredericksburg area are considered moderate with snow or ice coverage. They are also moderate in Stafford, Caroline, King George and Louisa. It's a little worse in Spotsylvania, where primary roads are mostly moderate with snow or ice, but secondary roads and bridges along with ramps are considered to be in severe condition. Only icy patches are being reported on roads in Orange and Culpeper.
Virginia State Police say they have responded to over 230 crashes and more than 190 disabled vehicles because of the snow, as of just after 9:00 this morning. Just three of them have been in the Fredericksburg Division, which and includes Culpeper, Warrenton, Harrisonburg and Winchester. The state police are still advising you not to drive until a little later today so VDOT crews can finish clearing the roads.
When you do get out, VRE is running on a normal schedule, but is urging caution in its' parking lots and station platforms. Metro is also on schedule, but some Amtrak trains to DC from the south were canceled. Service north from DC is on time. FRED buses were going to run late, but decided to close today. You can get the latest road conditions on VDOT's 511 page and the latest on what is open in the region on this page by keyword search: Storm Watch.

Thankfully the Spotsy Sheriff's Office says they didn't find anyone firing a gun in the area of Marye Road yesterday afternoon. It launched an extensive search after getting a call from a group of construction workers around 3:30 p.m., who thought someone was firing at them. It may have been someone doing target practice nearby and snow covered trees and ice covered ponds made the noise sound closer.

Pay attention when you are driving on I-95 and other major roads around the region.
A lack of it led to a 23 year old from Quantico to lose control of his SUV early yesterday, overturn and hit a police cruiser. State Trooper I.J. Dallam Sr. was parked on the left side of the road, running radar when it happened and was treated at a hospital and released. Just over ten hours later, another trooper was hit during a traffic stop on I-66 and was seriously injured.

Another winter storm is on its way to the region tonight.
The folks at Accuweather tell us that it will move in from the south and get to the region by later tonight. The Winter Weather Advisory runs from 10:00 p.m. through 1:00 p.m. tomorrow. The heaviest accumulation is expected to the south of Fredericksburg, all the way to Virginia Beach. This area will likely get somewhere between one and three inches by tomorrow morning, enough to make rush hour messy and maybe close schools again.
After the front pushes through, it will feel like winter still has a strong grip. Temperatures are expected to be near freezing during the day until Saturday and into the teens and 20s overnight.

How do you feel about access to experimental drugs being expanded here in Virginia? It helped save the life of Stafford County eight year old Josh Hardy and this week folks that support more access make their voice heard to lawmakers in Richmond. A Senate plan would let terminally ill patients get access only when all other options have failed. It still needs a final reading in the House. A decision is due before the general assembly adjourns this weekend.

Kids might be trying to adjust to being back in school this week, but all the snow and cold could put some in class longer than expected.
The missed days and delayed starts force Stafford schools to cancel an early release day the Friday before Easter break. Spotsy officials say they will do the same thing if there's one more snow day. Officials in Fredericksburg, Orange, King George and Culpeper say they are still okay.

Most of us want deals and are happy to earn CVS Extrabucks and other reward points to save more money, but be careful how you get them these days.
The Better Business Bureau tells us e-mails are coming to in-boxes with a subject line that says: "Your Reward Points are Expiring." If you click to open it, you might be told that you've been selected to complete a survey to win money. Be warned...clicking most of the links is just a ploy to install malware on your machine. Hover your mouse over URLs to see their true destination before clicking anything.